Shloka 28
Karma-Yoga, Yajña-Cakra, and the Governance of Desire (कर्मयोग–यज्ञचक्र–कामनिग्रह)
अजुन उवाच दृष्टवेमं स्वजनं कृष्ण युयुत्सुं समुपस्थितम्,अर्जुन बोले--हे कृष्ण! युद्धक्षेत्रमें डटे हुए युद्धके अभिलाषी इस स्वजनसमुदायको देखकर मेरे अंग शिथिल हुए जा रहे हैं और मुख सूखा जा रहा है तथा मेरे शरीरमें कम्प एवं रोमांच हो रहा है
arjuna uvāca dṛṣṭvemam svajanaṁ kṛṣṇa yuyutsuṁ samupasthitam | sīdanti mama gātrāṇi mukhaṁ ca pariśuṣyati ||
Arjuna said: “O Kṛṣṇa, seeing this host of my own kinsmen standing here, eager to fight, my limbs are giving way and my mouth is drying up.” In this moment, Arjuna’s moral vision collides with the reality of war: the very people he is bound to protect and honor are now arrayed as enemies, and his body begins to register the ethical shock of impending violence against his own family.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse introduces the ethical and psychological crisis that becomes the doorway to instruction: when duty (kṣatriya-dharma) confronts compassion for one’s own kin, the mind and body can collapse. This breakdown sets the stage for Kṛṣṇa’s guidance on discerning right action beyond personal attachment.
On the battlefield, Arjuna looks at both armies and recognizes his own relatives and elders among those ready to fight. The sight triggers intense distress—his limbs weaken and his mouth dries—signaling his reluctance to wage war against his own family.